By SIM PEI XUAN
HOW do you like your coffee? Or rather, where do you seek your coffee?
While large commercial coffee places remain a familiar attraction on campus, those seeking an artisanal alternative need not look too far.
Just around the corner of The Boardwalk at Syopz beside Ambank, you can find coffee beyond the transparent shopfront of Aspresso, a café newly opened in mid-January.
Upon entry, I was greeted with a friendly smile from the barista who beckoned me closer towards the menu on the wooden-panelled counter.
Designed with a minimalistic appeal, the café has a cosy atmosphere and light background music. Top that with complimentary Wi-Fi, it serves as the perfect assignment spot.
All-day Breakfast Platter is the only main course available at the café. On the bright side, it is customisable. Customers can pick either three items (RM9), five items (RM13) or seven items (RM16) from the menu. I opted for chicken sausages, beef bacon, omelette with mushrooms, potato rösti and salad.
I was pleased to find that every set comes with two slices of toast accompanied with butter and jam, but less pleased when the bread turned up white, soft and seemingly untoasted. The meat was decently tasty, but the beef bacon appeared to be rather dry. Other items in the Breakfast Platter were decidedly satisfying.
HOW do you like your coffee? Or rather, where do you seek your coffee?
While large commercial coffee places remain a familiar attraction on campus, those seeking an artisanal alternative need not look too far.
Just around the corner of The Boardwalk at Syopz beside Ambank, you can find coffee beyond the transparent shopfront of Aspresso, a café newly opened in mid-January.
Upon entry, I was greeted with a friendly smile from the barista who beckoned me closer towards the menu on the wooden-panelled counter.
Designed with a minimalistic appeal, the café has a cosy atmosphere and light background music. Top that with complimentary Wi-Fi, it serves as the perfect assignment spot.
All-day Breakfast Platter is the only main course available at the café. On the bright side, it is customisable. Customers can pick either three items (RM9), five items (RM13) or seven items (RM16) from the menu. I opted for chicken sausages, beef bacon, omelette with mushrooms, potato rösti and salad.
I was pleased to find that every set comes with two slices of toast accompanied with butter and jam, but less pleased when the bread turned up white, soft and seemingly untoasted. The meat was decently tasty, but the beef bacon appeared to be rather dry. Other items in the Breakfast Platter were decidedly satisfying.
Despite the lack of meal choices, Aspresso compensates with a wide selection of beverages including coffee, tea, juice and ice-blended beverages.
The café takes pride in its house blend “Cool Kids”, a blend of Ethiopia Sidamo, Brazil Cerrado and Columbia La Guamera coffee beans, freshly roasted by local home coffee roaster Seraph Awaken. The taste of this blend is described to have hints of berry flavour and a nutty and chocolatey taste.
Aspresso’s Americano comes with a mild aroma, light colour and clear opacity, but its dilute appearance is not to be mistaken for its taste. The first sip of my hot Americano (RM7.50) was a refreshing impression of acidity rather than bitterness, with regards to the light roasting profile which brings out the original flavour of the coffee beans.
There is a different menu for desserts daily, and all desserts are homemade by the café boss herself. The barista recommended me to try the Chocolate Mousse (RM10), one of the café’s popular sweet treats.
Topped with a layer of chocolate drizzled with caramel, the cake was alternately layered with chocolate mousse and chocolate sponge, creating a soft combination of moist and dry textures. Whilst it tasted moderately rich in chocolate, the mousse was a little too light and airy for my preference in terms of texture.
Nevertheless, Aspresso is not just breakfast and coffee. It is about creating a comfortable ambience and brewing the best for its customers.
I, for one, would not mind taking another turn around the corner to seek out this café.
The café takes pride in its house blend “Cool Kids”, a blend of Ethiopia Sidamo, Brazil Cerrado and Columbia La Guamera coffee beans, freshly roasted by local home coffee roaster Seraph Awaken. The taste of this blend is described to have hints of berry flavour and a nutty and chocolatey taste.
Aspresso’s Americano comes with a mild aroma, light colour and clear opacity, but its dilute appearance is not to be mistaken for its taste. The first sip of my hot Americano (RM7.50) was a refreshing impression of acidity rather than bitterness, with regards to the light roasting profile which brings out the original flavour of the coffee beans.
There is a different menu for desserts daily, and all desserts are homemade by the café boss herself. The barista recommended me to try the Chocolate Mousse (RM10), one of the café’s popular sweet treats.
Topped with a layer of chocolate drizzled with caramel, the cake was alternately layered with chocolate mousse and chocolate sponge, creating a soft combination of moist and dry textures. Whilst it tasted moderately rich in chocolate, the mousse was a little too light and airy for my preference in terms of texture.
Nevertheless, Aspresso is not just breakfast and coffee. It is about creating a comfortable ambience and brewing the best for its customers.
I, for one, would not mind taking another turn around the corner to seek out this café.